Those of us who own cats know that they are amazing creatures who have the ability to lift our spirits and make us feel so much better no matter what challenges we are dealing with in life. As well as being extremely affectionate and fun to be around, cats are very easy to look after, and best of all, but has been proven that they can benefit our health in so many ways.
Check out these very important ways that sharing your life with a cat or two can bring you very real benefits:
Cats Can Help you to De-Stress
Owning a cat can be a very soothing experience. When you’re with your cat, listening to his quiet purr and stroking his amazingly smooth and tactile skin, calming chemicals will be released in your body, helping you calm you down when you’re having a tough time and things aren’t exactly doing your way.
Cats Can Make You Less Anxious
For the same reasons above, owning a cat can make you feel much less anxious., That’s why so many people are getting cats as emotional support animals who can help them to overcome their mental health issues and lead the kind of life they want to. If this is something you would like to do, it’s important that you check out the support animal rules where you live and that you are sure you can care for any animal you bring home, Cats are pretty self-sufficient in most ways but they do still need your time, money and attention to thrive!
Cats Lower Your Risk of Stroke
It might sound incredible, but studies have shown that people who own cats have a lower risk of having a stroke than people who own other pets, including dogs, which have traditionally been thought of as man’s best friend. The scientists who discovered this fact don’t know exactly why this should be the case but they think the fact that cats are so calming and because they are so low-maintenance, that could be a major factor.
Cats Make You Feel Happy and Loved
When you own a cat and you spend time with your animal companion, a chemical called oxytocin is released. This is the chemical that is responsible for feelings of love and trust and that means, no matter how lonely you might be or how hard a time you are going through, if you spend some time just being with your cat, you will immediately start to feel a little (or a lot) better.
Cats Make Great Listeners
Cat owners often report that when they are struggling with their emotions during stressful times such as a bereavement, talking to their cats provides them with solace. Cats are often easier to open up to than other humans and they certainly do not judge you, so it’s easy to see why this could be the case.
Cats Can Help Kids with Autism
For similar reasons, at least one study has found that kids who have been diagnosed with autism are less likely to suffer from stress and anxiety when they’re petting a cat. If you have a child with autism, getting them a kitten with whom they can bond could be one of the best things you ever do for them.
Cats Boost Your Immunity
Spending time around pet dander will increase your resistance to wide range of allergens, which means you’re less likely to suffer from allergies and illnesses such as asthma, which is a pretty good argument for having cats, or other pets, around when your children are young.
Cats Will Lower Your Blood Pressure
Is there anything cats can’t do? A study conducted with a room of cat owners found that when they spoke to the crowd alone, their blood pressure would rise, but when they spoke to the group with their calm their blood pressure would lower or stay the same. Can you take cats into meetings with you?
Cats Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease
Oh, and they lower your risk of heart disease too, According to a study carried out by the Stroke Institute at the University of Minnesota, people who do not own cats are up to 40 percent more likely to have a heart attack than their peers who have been smart enough to add a cat to the family.
Cats Lower Cholesterol
As if all of that wasn’t enough, cats can even lower your cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which can cause things like type 2 diabetes, kidney, liver and heart disease, too. It’s amazing that simply being close to a cat can slash your risk of getting such a wide range of diseases, isn’t it?
Cats Can Help You Find Love
One study into cats found that women’s attractions to men increased if they owned a cat. This is probably because cats owners are seen as more sensitive, caring individuals (and we are) who would make good partners.
Cats are Great for the Environment
Last, but by no means least, cats are a much more environmentally friendly choice of pet than dogs. Over their lifetime, the average dog will use the same amount of resources as a Hummer, while a cat will only use the same resources as the average Volkswagen Golf, and that means that when you have a cat, you have a lower carbon footprint, which means better air and better health overall for not only you but the rest of the planet too.
The Bottom Line
Although there are lots of animals that undoubtedly make good pets, the facts say what all of us cat owners have known all along – owning cats is a great boon to the human population, They provide us with companionship, love and lots of health benefits that make them the greatest pets there are. If you want to feel better in almost every way, and you have a lot of love to give, consider adopting a cat from your local shelter today and it is likely to be one of the best things you ever do.